Collapsible box



June 5, 1928.

- C. A. FOX

COLLKPSIBLE BOX Filed April 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS v V M. H" uni/1111110140 t g Figure 2;

Patented June 5, 1928 TUNITEDF'STAFTES CHARLES A. FOX, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COLLAPSIBLE Box.

Application filed 1pm 29,

This invention relates to. improvements in receptacles and has particular reference to a collapsible box.

An object of the invention is to'provide 5 an improved box of simple and. practical construction, the side and end walls of which may be readily and quickly adjusted from collapsed to set-up position andsecurely retained'in the latter position. L

Another object is to provide. one'of the walls of the'box with a flap which, lateral movement in the direction of and relative to the other wall, may be forced into engagement with and held by a locking means on said other wall so that the flap 'will'support the Walls in set-up position.

Theabove and other objects will appear more clearly from the following detail description, when takenin connection with the 0 accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the inventive idea. a In the drawin-gs- I p Figure 1 is aperspective View of a box 7 constructed in 'ac'cordance with one form of the invention Figure 2' is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation; 1

= Figure 3 isa section onthe line 3--3 of 4 is afragmentary plan View of 1 Figure 1 with the side the box shown in Figure and end walls collapsed; igure 5 is a fragmentary plan'view of the blankfrom-which the box is formed;

*- Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the interior of one corner of the box constructed in accordance with another form of theinvention;

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view through said corner; and v Figure 8 is a' fragmentary plan view, partly broken away showing the corner of Figure 6 is collapsed position.

The construction involved herein/is particularly adapted for usein connection with comparatively shallow-"boxes wherein the walls are approximately two and three inches in height, but it will of course be understood that said construction may be applied to other types of boxes Without departing from the spirit or scope 'of the invention. The drawings illustrate only the bottom or body of the box, it being understood that 6.1 the top or cover thereof may be of the same 1927, Serial No. 187,431.

construction as the body or of any other desired form. The box,-aslis customar with receptacles of this type, is made.-

fibre board. A I

Referringmore particularly to Figures 1 to 5, thebox is shown ascomprising a bottom 10 and side and end walls 1-1 and '12 which are defined by the fold lines 13 and I 14:, respectively The sheet or blank of material from which the box is formed is cut to provide a tapered corner flap 15 at each end of each side wall.- Each flap is" bent: around the adjacent end ofan' end wall and said flap is permanently secured, adjacent the corner of the box, to said end-wall by means of suitable fasteners 16 in the form of staples or-the 'like,"this fastening operation being known in the art'='as'st-1tching. It will, of course, be understood that the permanentattachment of the flap to the end wall may be accomplished by any other suitable'means, such as an adhesive or the like.

At each end of each end wall the material is scored diagonally from the lowercorner of the end'wall to provide a folding line 17 which permits of the adjacent side wall being collapsed inwardly, as shown in Figure 4, upon the bottom of the box with the corner flap extending in the same plane with said side' wall and outwardly beyondsaid folding line. When in this position the box 7 is completely collapsedandfa greatmany r of them may be stacked in this position and with the utilization of aminimum amount of space.

Adjacent each end of each of theend Walls the material'is cut to provide a. transfverse slot 18, the ends of whichterminate short of the'upper and lower edges'of the wall, and said slot is disposed at a distance .fromthe end of said wall which will permit theIfree extremity of the, corner flap 15 to overlap said slot; At each end'ofthe slot the material is further out in the direction of the oppositeend of the end'wall to provide locking tongue 20 which may be flexed inwardliy and outwardly relative to the remain er of the wall. The material at the ends of the slot 18 is furthercut in the opposite direction from the slots 19 on diverging lines 21 to form/a, yielding portion22 "the longitudinal slots 19 to thereby 'form a opposed to the: locking tongue 20' and the cuts 21a1'e at such angle sthat the distance between the cuts will be slightly greater than the width of the portion of the flap adjacentsaid cuts for a purpose which will presently appear.

When it is desired to adjust the side and end walls of the box to'their operative'or set-up position it is only necessary for the operator to simultaneously grasp said sideflaps in the direction of the end wall the tree extremity of each flap will be engaged with the overlapped locking tongue 2Q and also with the yielding portion 22. Further pressure appliedto said extremity will force both the-tongue and portion 22 inwardly, the angle of the cuts 21 attording sutlicient space for the edges of the flap topassin- 'wardly without actually contacting the edges of the material otthe end-wall torming said cuts. The pressure is applied until the free extremity of the fiap pastes troni the outer side of the locking tongue to a position 0n theinner side thereof, whereupon said extremity will have virtually been forced into the slot 18. After this has been done the locking tongue 20, owing to the flexibility of the .material, restores to its normal position with the extremity of the flap interposed between saidtongue and the yielding portion 20,, asshown in Figure 3.

vIn this position the portion 22 which has a tendency to restore to its normal position in a plane with the remainder of the end Wall, exertsan outward pressune-i;upon the free extremity'oi the flap15 and will thus operate to. bind the same against the looking tongue20 with there'sult that said flap will be retained in its locked position against any ordinary outward pressure andthe walls of thebox'will thereby be bracedin position.

It is to be noted also. that when the flap 15 is locked the same overlaps the folding line 17 and thus avoids bending of the material along said line while the flap islocked. After the corner flaps have been thus locked in position at one end of the box the op eration just described is repeated at the other end thereof. y p i In the form of the box illustrated in Figures '6 to 8, the blank thereof iscutin precisely the same manner as shown in Figure 5, but instead of securing each corner-flap to the outside of the end wall, as'in the first form described, said flap is secured to the inner side of said end wall, as. clearly illus- 'trated in Figure 6. In this construction the ,dia onalfoldin lines 17 are scored so that the end walls will first told inwardly upon the bottom of the box and then the side wardly as previously described. Y

rection of said other the end wallsit will of course be understood .that when the same are to be engaged With the locking tongue 20 the pressure applied to the free extremities of said flaps is in an outward direction instead of in- In accordance with the present invention it will be understood that instead of forming the corner flaps 15 as extensions of the side walls, said flaps may be formed on the e'nds of the end walls and bent around the-side walls, in which event the latter walls will be formed with the slats 18, 19 and '21 and the flaps 15 will be locked in the same manner as previously described.

llhat is claimed is: I y

1. In a collapsible box of. the fltypewhele in the side and end walls collapse against the bottom, a bottom, side-and end wallsone of which is provided with a cornerflap extensible along the other wall when theboxis in set-up position, means to permanently secure said corner flap to said other well, and;-

said other wall having means actuated, after said side and end walls have been disposed in substantially perpendicular position relative to said bottom, by engagementcof. the

free extremity of said 'fla'ptherewithand a.

lateral pressure against said flap in the Cli- 7 Wall to lock said extremity thereto. {j V 2. In a'collapsible box oi the type wherein the side and end walls collapse against the,-

bottom, a bottom, side andend walls one of which is provided with a folding line and the other with a corner flap extensible along the first named wall in overlappingi'relation to said folding line to brace thelatter i wall when the box is in set-up position,

means to permanently secure said. corner flapto said firstnamed Wall, and. the latter wall having means actuated, after saidSide and end walls have been disposed-in sub-Q stantially'perpendicular position relative to sa d bottom, by engagement of the free extremity of said fiaptlierewith anda lateral pressure against said'flap in the direction of said first named wall to lock said extremity.;

thereto. a y I H I 3. Ina collapsible box of the type wherein a side and end walls collapse against the bottom, a bottom, side and end walls one of which is provided with a corner fiapexten-q siblealong one surface of the other wall,

means to permanently secure said corner flap to said other wall, the latter Wall being formed with adjacent yielding portions both of which are overlapped by the free extrem-z ity of said flap when the box is in set-up 4'. In a collapsible box of the type wherein side and end walls collapse against the bottom, a bottom, side and end walls one of which is provided with a corner flap extensible along one surface of the other wall,

means to permanently secure said corner flap to said other wall, the'latter wall being formed with adjacent yielding portions both of which are overlapped bythe free extremity of said flap when the box is-in set-up position, one'of said portions forming a locking tongue movable laterally, after the side and end walls have been disposed in substantially perpendicular position relative to said bottom, by a pressure on the flap in a direction toward said other wall topermit said extremity to pass beyond said tongue and into engagement with the opposite surface of said other wall, and the other yielding portion being also initially movable laterally by said pressure and thereafter exerting an outward pressure upon said flap to bind the same a ainst said locking tongue.

5. In a collapsibde box of the type wherein theside and end walls collapse against the bottom, a bottom, side and end walls one of sible along the other Wall when the box is in set-up position, means to permanently secure said corner flap to said other wall, the

latter wall having a transverse slot and other slotsextending in opposite directions from the ends of said transverse slot to form ad'acent yielding portions overlapped by said flap when said box is inset-upposition, one of said yielding portions forming a locking tongue movable laterally, after the side and end walls have been disposed in substantiall perpendicular position relative to sai bottom, by a pressure on the flap in a direction toward said other wall to permit said extremity to pass beyond said tongue and into engagement with the opposite surface of said other wall, and the otheryielding portion being also initially movable laterally by said pressure and thereafter exertin an outward pressure upon said flap to bind the same against said locking tongue.

In testimony whereof have afiixed my signature.

' CHARLES A. FOX.

which is provided with a corner 'flap exten- 

